Report: Arsenal are now just £2.5m away from agreeing deal to sign 'powerful' Euro 2024 star

Arsenal aren’t too far away from striking a deal to sign one of Mikel Arteta’s key transfer targets.

The Gunners will soon board a plane to travel to the United States for their pre-season tour. Arteta would’ve loved to have a few new signings by this point, but things haven’t been straightforward.

However, the Premier League runners-up seem to be getting closer to making their second signing of the summer after turning David Raya’s loan into a permanent deal earlier in July.

A report has now detailed what Arsenal need to do to sign one player.

Arsenal are just £2.5m away from meeting Bologna’s demands for Riccardo Calafiori

Riccardo Calafiori has been a wanted man in this summer’s transfer window.

The versatile defender became a star following his performances in Euro 2024 for Italy. Even though the Azzurri crashed out of the tournament fairly early, he made a lasting impression.

Since Italy’s elimination, Arsenal have been chasing Calafiori and a deal even looked imminent at one point.

However, the Gunners fell short of Bologna’s asking price, and things have been pretty quiet on that front over the last few days.

Gianluca Di Marzio revealed on Thursday that Arsenal are ready to increase their offer to sign Calafiori ahead of their pre-season tour of the United States.

Now, Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla has shared an update.

He has revealed that Bologna are keen to close the deal for Calafiori with Arsenal and are demanding €50 million (£42m) plus an additional €3 million (£2.5m) to sell him.

Arsenal’s last offer for the Italian defender was worth €47 million (£39.6m) plus €3 million in add-ons.

All the Gunners have to do is up their bid by €3 million (£2.5m) to put an end to the Calafiori saga that has dragged on for a few weeks now.

Pedulla tweeted: “Bologna wants to close with the Arsenal but asks for at least €50 million plus €3 million, the last offer was €47 million plus €3 million.

“Calafiori, who is returning from holidays, has a full deal (agreed with Arsenal) worth €4.5 million per season including bonuses.”

READ MORE: Bologna chairman responds when asked about Arsenal and Riccardo Calafiori talks

What should Arsenal do to end the Calafiori saga?

Calafiori is a fantastic talent.

The ‘powerful‘ Italian can play in the heart of the defence as well as left-back, and he is a huge upgrade on both Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

To add to that, Calafiori is still only 22 years old, which means he will become much better than he already is in the coming years.

£2.5 million is a lot of money for a common fan but for a club as big as Arsenal, it’s next to nothing.

The Gunners have been trying to lower Bologna’s asking price for over a week now, but it seems clear that the Italian side will not budge.

So, we think Arsenal should just pay the additional fee to get the deal done. Missing out on such a talented player because of just £2.5 million makes no sense at all.